Wednesday, March 26, 2008

ABC Wednesday--J

All my pictures of the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Centerat Paradise on Mount Rainier are taken in winter. In fact, we made a trip up there on Monday just to get some more shots.

Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson was a several term senator from Washington state. During the 60s, when Jackson was in the Senate, he was instrumental in getting the funding for a visitor center at Paradise, a major tourist destination at the 5300 foot level of Mt. Rainier.

The problem was, in order to get the funding, there had to be a design ready for the building. Getting a new design by an architectural firm would take another two years. The visitor center was needed now.

There was a plan already available, however, recently done for another park. It was borrowed, the funding was obtained, and the center was built and dedicated to Senator Jackson. I'm not sure which park the plan was from--it was one of the ones in Hawaii, so the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center has a twin in Hawaii.

The problem is, while the design was perfect for Hawaii, it has always had some serious problems in a location which annually vies for the record for the most snowfall in a season. Summer is one thing. But in the winter, it takes many gallons of oil a day to heat the roof so that the snow pack will not build up and cave it in. That is one of the reasons, along with changes in fire, safety, and accessibility standards, that this aging building is being replaced.

Construction on the new visitor center began in 2006 and is going along well with completion expected this summer. We were surprised at how roomy it appears, as the description has been that it is much smaller than the current center.

You notice the steeply pitched roof, which will shed the snow without the extreme expenditure for heating oil. The design also fits in with other historic buildings at Paradise.Once the new building is complete and the exhibits ready for visitors, the old Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center will be demolished. It will certainly be different.

25 comments:

Hi, I came in to see you and thank you for visiting and leaving a message. I love blogs with photos and oddly enough (for no reason in particular) I remember Senator Scoop Jackson...I don't know why except my friend Peggy and I were Pres/and Vice Pres of the Young Democrat Party in the early 60's...there were only 4 of us, and the other two girls were sec/and treasurer...I think we rotated roles every few months and then suddenly we were Republicans...and my Granddad liked me again...hmm, odd how memories roll back to the surface just from the mention of a name. Now before I overstay my welcome, I want to check out the lose weight in 08 site...maybe I can join before my butt gets any broaderSandi

I bet it will be a wonderful building! I kinda like the old Hawaii style one tho but understand the problems.

I forgot about the name of that place or I could have used it instead of having to create a J photo myself. lol (I wonder when it is Wednesday in England? I know I used to link up before now by changing the ime and day on my post but nothing there yet.)

Nice photos (brrrr) and history lesson. Very interesting. I'm glad they're replacing the 1st one - aside from the massive amounts of oil being used, this new one does look so much more in keeping with the locale.

You always amaze me with your treks into the wild! Even with all that snow you're hiking. Good for you. I've been to that visitor center in 1988 but in the heat of summer!!! I'm in Washington right now for Easter headed back to Cali on Sunday. Blessings...

You have what we all need in your comment section. It's the Name/Url option that works for sending people directly to the actual post instead of the blog profile page. A lot of blogspot people don't have this open option on their comment page.

About Me

I am a Grandma blogger, posting some regular stuff on some regular blogs--photos and memes. Most recently I have primarily participated in a weekly header challenge, but hopefully I will get back to more regular blogging again.